Yummy Raw Avocado Salad!

Avocado salad, mix together 1/2 pound romaine lettuce, 1 ripe chopped avocado, 1 cup grape tomatoes halved, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 3 packets stevia, 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic, 2 tablespoons diced sweet onion, sea salt and pepper to taste.

Easy and Yummy Salad!

This salad was created because I was given the ingredients for it and just combined them into a salad!

1 small container organic spinach
1 red bell pepper
1/4 cabbage, shredded very fine
1 tomato, diced
6 baby carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 fresh pineapple, diced

Put it all together and top with your favorite dressing.  The one I put on today was Newman's Light Cranberry Walnut.  Great summer salad!

Amazing Salad!

Tired of your same old spinach salad?  Here's a salad with a juxtiposiiton of many flavors that will perk up your taste buds!

2 cups organic spinach
2 cups organic cabbage, shredded fine
3 radishes
4 baby carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced and chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 red bell pepper
1 small tomato chopped
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
top with Newman's Own - Lite Balsamic

I put the first ingredients into my container and the ingredients that would moosh up the spinach into separate little containers.  When I'm ready to eat, I add the little containers to the big container (see the raisins?) and then add the sliced strawberries and the Lite Balsamic.

This salad is very different but the sweet of the raisins and strawberries and the spicy of the radishes and cabbage along with the balsamic make for a very yummy taste sensation.

Magaly's Salad

One of my best friends, Magaly, gave me this recipe and when another friend  gave me some avocados I decided to make this for myself.

Magaly’s Salad

2 can black beans

2 red bell peppers, diced

2 cups frozen corn

2 avocados, diced

1 large Walla Walla sweet onion, diced

Juice from 2 limes

Rinse black beans. Add rest of ingredients.  Squeeze lime juice over the salad.  If you want to use this as a dip, you can use the lime tortilla chips.  I have also used it as the filling for a soft tortilla.  

Wild Rice and BBQ Tofu

The last time I went to the food bank, I got a package of wild rice and a package of Tofu.  I cooked the wild rice according to package directions. It took an hour.

I carefully cut the tofu into 1" cubes.  I put some Walla Walla Sweet Onion BBQ sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and put the tofu on top of it.  Then I poured the rest of the BBQ sauce over the tofu.  I baked it at 300 for about 15 minutes. 

I put some wild rice in a bowl and topped it with the tofu mixture.  It was very good but I was wishing that I had more BBQ sauce!

Kinda Sorta Minestrone

Over the last few weeks, I've received all of the ingredients in this soup.  Tonight, I put them all together and it was very tasty.

2 cans tomato soup
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
5 potatoes (washed in fruit and vegetable rinse and diced small)
1 onion diced small
1 can corn
1 can green beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can mixed vegetables
1 can white beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans

Reconstitute the tomato soup and add potatoes, onion and seasoning.  Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to medium.  Cook until potatoes are soft.  Add rest of ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes. 

I like my soup to be very much like stew but, if you like yours thinner, just add another can or two of the reconstituted soup.

Vegan Chipotle Potato Soup

I looked into my fridge and the only things there were potatoes, onions and a bunch of condiments.  What to do?  I decided that I would make potato soup.  I also found some chipotle and decided to try adding it for a new recipe. So, I did and it was yummy! Here's the recipe:

10-15 medium potatoes, rinsed with Fruit and Vegetable Rinse and then diced
2-3 onions, diced
1 can chipotle, blended to a smooth paste

Rinse and dice the potatoes and onions.  Steam until soft.  Put them into a large crockpot.  Put about 2 cups of the potatoes, onions and chipotle into your blender (VitaMix works best) and blend to a smooth consistency.  Pour the liquid over the potatoes and onions in the crockpot and gently stir.  Add water if the consistency is too "gluey".  Turn crockpot on high for about an hour and then turn to low.  Cook for a total of about 3 hours. 

Yum!

Spinach Salad with Coleslaw

We got an abundance of spinach yesterday, along with a coleslaw mix.  I put the two together for a salad.  I used a non-fat Italian dressing over it.  It was very good.

Enchiladas

Two weeks ago, I received some enchilada sauce, yesterday I received corn tortillas and a can of beans.  So, I warmed the corn tortillas and heated the beans.  I poured a little enchilada sauce into the bottom of a glass baking pan.  I put about 2 tablespoons of heated beans into the center of the warmed corn tortillas and rolled them so the edges were down.  I laid them into the enchilada sauce and poured the reaminder of the enchilada sauce over them.  I baked them for about 30 minutes at 350.  It was delicious!

Easy and Nutritious Stir Fry

Although not every item in this recipe was received yesterday at the Food Bank, it is a really good tasting stir fry.

Create an easy nutritious vegetable stir fry, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a wok, add 1 chopped onion and 1 clove crushed garlic, cook for 2 minutes and then add 2 cups shredded cabbage, 2 cups sliced mushrooms and 2 cups chopped bok choy, cook for 4 minutes and serve immediately.

Yummy Green Tropical Smoothie!

To make a blended tropical green smoothie, blend one mango, one frozen banana, 2 cups fresh spinach and 1/4 cup coconut water.

Quick and Easy Tomato Soup with Pizazz!

2 cans Tomato soup
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 can corn (or 2 cups frozen corn)
3 potatoes (small diced)
Chili (to taste)

This soup is healthy but does use canned foods so some may choose to do something different.  However, if there were a disaster, and you had the ingredients, it would work.  I put in lots of chili because I like it HOT!

Spring Mix Salad with Kale

Two weeks ago, I was given a bag of kale salad (with carrots, purple cabbage, and white cabbage), a container of organic spring mix and some very small tomatoes.

 I put them all together and had a wonderful salad.

Tofu Pumpkin Pie and/or Pudding

Last week, we received both Tofu and Canned Pumpkin at the Food Bank and I remembered that I had made Tofu Pumpkin Pie for my school. I originally found it on the MoriNu Tofu package and adjusted it to fit our needs. I used to make it for breakfast (lots of protein in the Tofu and, of course, the Pumpkin has many nutrients. The students in my school thought they were really getting away with something when we had "pudding" for breakfast!)

Here it is:

Tofu Pumpkin Pie
3 packages Mori Nu silken lite Tofu (asceptic packaging)
1 1/2 cups honey
4 cups canned, pumpking
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs pumpkin pie spice

Blend tofu in food processor until smooth. Add honey, pumpkin, vanilla extract and pmpking pie spice. Blend well. Pour into individual little pie shells or a 9" pie shell. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for approximately 1 hour for the large pie shell and for less time for the small pie shells. Filling will be soft, but will firm up as it chills. Chill and serve. This can also be used as a pudding (without the pie shells). Just put it into custard cups instead of the pie shells.

Tofu Whipped Cream
(from Fresh from a Vegetarian Kitchen by Meridith McCarty)
We never actually made this but it would be festive for a family dinner.

1 lb tofu, fresh
1/3 Cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbs vanilla extract
Sea salt - a few grains
2 Tbs to 1/2 Cup water, only if necessary to blend

Absolutely fresh tofu is a neccasity her or hte flavor will be chalky. Blend ingredients until creamy smooth. I usually do not boil the tofu for this topping, as boing tends to make it firm up. If you do boil tofu ahead, store "cream" in blender an whip it up again just before serving. For large amounts, mix all ingredients except water, then add it gradually until desired consistency is reached. Less will be needed. Use as a more healthy altrnative to dairy whipped cream on pumpkin pie, cobblers, etc. Be creative!

Don't Worry About Protein, Have Some Comfort Food!

Last night, I had steamed potatoes and carrots for dinner (we received lots of carrots and potatoes at the food bank), . I just love them and they are very easy to make if you have a steamer. My favorite steamer is Black & Decker Handy Steamer/Rice Cooker. I use it for both veggies and for rice. There's not really a recipe but I'll put down what I did.

Wash potatoes and carrots with fruit and vegetable rinse. Cut them into smallish pieces and put into steamer basket (not the rice cooker part). Put water into bottom of steamer and put the drip pan on top and then the steamer basket on top of that.

Put the timer onto 45 minutes and plug it into the socket.

When the potatoes and carrots are soft, take them out of the steamer basket and put them onto a plate. My favorite margerine is Earth Balance and I put that on top and salt and pepper them.

Do You Have the "Protein Monster" in Your Head?

I know some of you are cringing as you read these recipes! You are saying, "Yikes! Where's the Meat!"
I have responded to that below:

When I owned my vegetarian school, one of the first questions I got from prospective clients was: "Well, then how will my child get his/her protein if s/he eats vegetarian?" I, too, wondered about this before reading nearly 300 boooks for my Masters' Thesis. I, too, had the "protein monster" in my head and thought if I didn't eat meat I had to at least eat lots of dairy products! These attitudes came as a result of my "nutritional education" in the public schools. But, the reality is just the opposite! Actually, because of the extensive advertising (that same "nutritional education" mentioned above), Americans are suffereing a myriad of illnesses caused by the over-proteining of America.

An article by Debra Blake Weisenthal entitled "Shattering the Myth of Protein" states: "If you are getting enough calories, just about no matter what you're eating, you're also getting sufficient protein." So, our worry about getting enough protein is not only not necessary but is actually detrimental to our health.

In "Fat Burning Foods", the authors state: "The trouble is, most people consume too much meat and cheese and not enough potatoes and bread. You need only about an ounce of protein for every 18 pounds of ideal body weight. In other words, a 126 pound woman needs only about 7 ounces a day."

Dr. Pritikin, famed expert on nutrition, agrees and says: "Vegetarians always ask about getting enough protein. But I don't know any nutrition expert that can plan a diet of natural foods resulting in a protein deficiency, so long as you're not deficient in calories. You need only 6% of total calories in protein....and it's practically impossible to get below 9% in ordinary diets."

John Robbins, in Diet for a New America, wrote about research that actually lowers that percentage to between 3% and 5%. And, he adds, "a potato has 13% protein"!

Another issue for many people is that of "combining foods" to get a "complete" protein. This is a myth which came about because of some studies done on rats in the 1940's. Rats, which differ from humans in many ways, also have different nutritional needs. Not surprisingly, once research was conducted on people, the results were quite different and they resulted in a change in the way proteins are rated. The current standard for humans is known as the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS).

 Using the PDCAAS scale, soy protein receives a top rating. Unfortunately, the Meat and Dairy Council (for its own nefareious reasons) still sites the old, inaccurate studies when convincing the public that getting "protein" is very hard as a vegetarian but very easy with their products.

In Francis Moore Lappe's 20 year anniversary edition of "Diet for a Small Planet", she bemoans the way most people have accepted the 1940's study over the more recent studies. Her original book, with the incorrect study in it, is what made the "combining" strategy so popular. There's certainly nothing wrong with combing beans with a grain (almost every culture has some variation of beans and rice) but it's not really necessary!

So, relax! And have some comfort food for dinner once in a while without feeling guilty. I did....and it was yummy!

Red Bell Peppers, Celery, Onions and Zucchini over Basmati

Red Bell Peppers
Celery
Onions
Zucchini
Lawry's seasoned salt
Basil
Parsley
Olive Oil

Basmati Rice (steamed in a Rice Cooker)

Chop up the veggies and put into a stainless baking pan. Sprinkle basil, Lawry's and Parsley over top. Drizzle oil over top. Put into a 450 oven and bake until the veggies are soft, gently turning occasionally.

Pour above mixture over cooked basmati rice. 

Red, White and Blue Salad

This was a traditional morning snack for our July 3rd celebration.  The children thought they were getting away with something by eating this yummy dessert for a snack.  But I knew the tofu made it a very high protein snack!

Strawberries
Blueberries

Slice stawberries and put into bowl with blueberries.  Use Tofu Whipped Cream to mix.  This is a VERY tasty alternative to dairy whipped cream or the chemical ones.

Tofu Whipped Cream (recipe below by Meridith McCarty)
1 lb. Tofu, fresh
1/4 C pure maple syrup
1 T vanilla extract
Sea salt, just a pinch
2 T to 1/2 cup water, only if necesssary to blend

Absolute fresh tofu is a necessity here or the flavor will be chalky.  Blend ingredients until creamy smooth, I usually do not boil the tofu for this tipping, as boiling tends to make it firm up.  If you do boil tofu ahead, store "cream" in blender and whip it up again just before serving.  For large amounts, mix all ingredients except water, then add it gradually until desired consistency is reached.  Less will be needed.  Use as a more healthy alternative to dairy whipped cream on pumpkin pie, cobblers, etc.

Kale, Spinach Salad

Yesterday, I was given a lot of items.  I put them all together and made a salad.  Here's the recipe:

Spinach
Kale
Cabbage - shredded white and red
Grape tomatoes
Carrots
Celery
Cauliflower

Yellow raisins
Pistachio nuts (unsalted)
Raw Sunflower seeds
Raw almonds
Raw walnuts

Vary amounts according to your own taste.
Wash all the veggies in Fruit and Vegetable Rinse.  Rinse off the rinse with distilled water.
I use plastic containers to put the salad into.  I had enough yesterday to make 6 large servings. 
Put the spinach in, then the kale, then the cabbage.
Dice the carrots and celery and put on top.
Cut cauliflower in small florets and put on top.
Put raisins, shelled pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and walnuts into small container and put on top of the salad in one corner.

When serving, choose your favorite salad dressing. 

Magaly's Salad

When I  owned my school, my Assistant Director was Magaly.  We had great times slicing and dicing together and feeding the children in my school.  Magaly shared this recipe with me and I really like it.  It's not raw, but it's quick and not very expensive and tastes wonderful.

2 cans black beans

2 red bell peppers, diced

2 cups frozen corn

2 avocados, diced

1 large Walla Walla sweet onion, diced

Juice from 2 limes

Rinse black beans. Add rest of ingredients.  Squeeze lime juice over the salad.  I don't care for chips myself, but Magaly served it with Lime Tortilla Chips. I have also used it as the filling for a soft tortilla.  But, most often, I just eat it with no chips or tortilla!  Yummy!